Tips for preggers in the OR

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jul 29, 2013

The nausea will pass...and I'll be they are already guessing you are "in the family way" CONGRATS~

trauma_lama, BSN · Jul 29, 2013

Thanks esme!! Yeah it would have to take a dumb bunch of health care providers not to catch on wouldn't it? Especially with my charming preggo lead for X-ray cases. ;-)

ruralgirl08 · Jul 30, 2013

If you wear compression stockings, you may need stronger ones during your pregnancy. Just advice from my experience. :)

trauma_lama, BSN · Jul 30, 2013

Thanks rural!

DalekRN · Jul 30, 2013

Zofran PO

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 30, 2013

While not really about the nausea:

Wear your pants over your belly instead of under or make sure they stay up somehow. Let's just say there's a certain OR person where I work who was lucky to be wearing leggings under her scrub pants....

Make sure your radiation department knows. They may have certain requirements for pregnant OR staff. Ours has us wear a second dosimeter under the lead at waist level to check exposure to the fetus. We must notify them in writing (email counts) as soon as we know.

trauma_lama, BSN · Jul 31, 2013

Thanks you guys! Just got my dosimeter for the babeh yesterday and going to the doc today. It's supposed to be a visit with the OB nurse but I'm hoping she can snag the doc real quick to Rx me some zofran. This is the third day I've called out r/t N&V. And I'm real shaky and dehydrated too since I can't really keep anything down. Hope they'll give me a liter of LR while I'm at the doc today too!

trauma_lama, BSN · Jul 31, 2013

While not really about the nausea:
Wear your pants over your belly instead of under or make sure they stay up somehow. Let's just say there's a certain OR person where I work who was lucky to be wearing leggings under her scrub pants....

^^^hahahaha!!!

Ilovethe80s · Aug 1, 2013

Hey y'all! Quick question- I'm not very far along in my pregnancy OR my career... ;-) I'm a new grad at an ASC. I love it and feedback from preceptors and charge nurse has been very positive so far, but I've recently started having issues with morning sickness and frequent peeing. Obviously, I have much more control over frequent peeing. But there have been a couple times now that I've needed to dash out to *ahem* refund my breakfast. I know pregnancy is temporary, but I'm so terrified that my coworkers (whom I haven't yet told about pregnancy but I'm sure they're starting to catch on) will see this behavior as unprofessional and view me as undependable and not a good OR nurse. I keep altoids on me as peppermint is known to reduce nausea, and I sniff on alcohol pads every now and then to try to reduce it. What other "remedies" did you use while pregnant that allowed you to maintain composure and professionalism while circulating when you wanted to hurl? I am a good nurse with potential to be great one day, and I don't want this to shoot me in the foot! Of note: we dont have many cases much greater than three hours. Please chime in if you have motherly/nursey wisdom to impart![/quote']
I just had a baby in April...went into labor just before bringing our first pt back for a 0730 case! Got to conveniently waddle up to L&D and had the baby 2 hrs later. Fortunately, I work with a lot of compassionate nurses who completely understood all the fun stuff we endure during pregnancy. I was really nauseous in my first and third trimester. I ate mints and tried to eat crackers early in the morning. I worked my butt off while I was pregnant. I would try to hold back any vomiting episodes but sometimes you can't help it. There were two instances I had to call the board and ask for temporary relief so I could go to the restroom. In my opinion, most of your coworkers will be understanding and helpful because you are a hard worker and for those who aren't....screw em! Like you said, pregnancy is temporary and as nurses, we should be supportive of each other. Try not to worry about what others will think. Take care of yourself and move at the pace you are comfortable with. In the past yr, I've worked with 2 nurses and a scrub who all went on bed rest between 34-36 weeks because of contractions and other complications. You sound like you have a positive attitude and I'm betting your coworkers appreciate that and will be understanding.

trauma_lama, BSN · Aug 1, 2013

I just had a baby in April...went into labor just before bringing our first pt back for a 0730 case! Got to conveniently waddle up to L&D and had the baby 2 hrs later. Fortunately, I work with a lot of compassionate nurses who completely understood all the fun stuff we endure during pregnancy. I was really nauseous in my first and third trimester. I ate mints and tried to eat crackers early in the morning. I worked my butt off while I was pregnant. I would try to hold back any vomiting episodes but sometimes you can't help it. There were two instances I had to call the board and ask for temporary relief so I could go to the restroom. In my opinion, most of your coworkers will be understanding and helpful because you are a hard worker and for those who aren't....screw em! Like you said, pregnancy is temporary and as nurses, we should be supportive of each other. Try not to worry about what others will think. Take care of yourself and move at the pace you are comfortable with. In the past yr, I've worked with 2 nurses and a scrub who all went on bed rest between 34-36 weeks because of contractions and other complications. You sound like you have a positive attitude and I'm betting your coworkers appreciate that and will be understanding.

Thanks so much! Haha after missing 3 days of work this week and coming back with zofran and sea band bracelets, I'm pretty sure everybody's figured it out by now. But zofran is saving me so far, thank goodness. That's so cute you went into labor at work!! I do work hard and do try to stay positive and I hope that it shines through even when I'm a bit green in the face. Thanks for reaching out!